And No Birds Sing is a true environmental detective story that explores one of the strangest ecological disasters of this century - the extinction of birds on the island of Guam. As early as the 1960s, game wardens on the Pacific island noticed that the bird population was dwindling. In the late 1970s, the pace clearly accelerated. Yet, there were no carcasses or clues. It was as if an unseen, malevolent spirit were loose in the rain forest, and the birds were simply vanishing.

In the early 1980s, a young biologist, Julie Savidge, was hired to investigate the mystery of Guam's disappearing birds. At the same time, biologist Bob Beck was given the task of saving the rarest species of birds - now teetering on the brink of extinction.

Together they spearheaded one of the most inventive projects in conservation biology. But when Savidge finally named her prime suspect in the massacre - a fierce, slender snake that had accidentally been brought to the island - few believed her. The reason? There was simply no case in the annals of zoology of a reptile ever doing such massive ecological damage. Somehow Savidge had to prove her theory.

And No Birds Sing is the gripping story of the battle between predators and prey, and of the scientists who struggled to restore the natural balance. But this is a story of more than just a single extinction episode on one small island. It highlights the threat posed when alien species are introduced to new habitats where they run rampant, unchecked by natural enemies.

This is how the kudzu vine took over the American South, the zebra mussel choked the Great Lakes, and the Mediterranean fruit fly became the menace of California agriculture. In fact, scientists now consider these interlopers - ranging from bacteria to purple loosestrife weeds to feral pigs - as posing as serious a threat to global biodiversity as the felling of the rain forest or the hunting of endangered species